Steam-boiler



(No Model.) 2 Shets-Sheet 1. J. L.. GILLi Jr.

STEAM BOILER.

No. 335,750. @wanted Fb. 9, 1886.

fly-fili K l N4 PiTERs, Pham-Liumgmphur, Wn'shinglon. Dv C` (No Model.) `2 sheetssheet 2.

J. L. GILL, Jr.

STEAM BOILER.

No. 335,750.l Patented Feb. 9, 1886.

WITNEESE'E iNVENTEIF:

N. PETERS. Pham-Lichogmpher. wuhingem. D. C.

UNITED STATES! JOHN L. GILL, JR., PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 335,750, dated February 9,1886.

Application filed October 2G, 1885. Serial No. 180,897.

To all 'whom/.it may concern:

Beit known that I, JOHN L. GILL, J r. of the city and county of Philadelphia, in the State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements Relating to Steam? Boilers, of which improvements the following is a specification.

My invention relates, generally, to that class of safety steam-boilers known as sectional boilers or water-tube boilers, in which water from which the steam is generated is contained in a series of tubes or pipes connected at their respective ends by means of chambers and designated as headers or boxes The water circulating through these tubes and boxes is subjected to the action of heat from a iire located upon a grate beneath, or from the hot gases arising from the products of combustion within the furnace, and the water and steam generated therein are conducted to the steam-drum situated at any suitable distance above the pipes or tubes through pipes leading directly thereto, and as will be fully explained.

My invention consists in making the front and back water-legs oi' a sectional or water-tube boiler of a series of headers, into which may be secured any suitable number oi' tubes, preferably arranged at or nearly equal distances apart, in contradistinction to being arranged in vertical rows one above another-that is to say, the tubes are arranged, preferably,one tube above a pair of tubes, or a pair of tubes above a single tube in any desired number or" courses, and the sides of the headers made to take a zigzag course in a vertical direction, either in curvilinear or broken straight lines, thereby securing the greatest strength attainable, and so constructed that when a number of headers are placed side by side they will interlock with each other and preserve the general arrangement of the tubes, as above mentioned, at nearly equal distances apart. These headers may be made of a single box, or they may be made up of two or more boxes placed one above the other and connected with one another by means of short nipples.

My invention further consists in casting with` in each header a suitable number of bridges for the purpose of tying the sides together for holding the bolts by which the covers are se- (No model.)

cured to the boxes, and in case it should be desirable to use more than one cover on a box one or morevof the bridges may be used to form a support for making a steam-tight joint thereupon at the line where the covers meet, and as will be hereinafter more particularly explained.

My invention further consists in connecting the headers directly with the steam and water drum by means of straight or curved tubes without the intervention of saddle-boxes riveted tp said steam-drum.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating my invention, Figure 1 is a side elevation of 65 a sectional boiler occupying a position ready for use with my improved headers secured thereto. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation showing front and rear views, respectively, of a steamboiler with my improved headers attached to a series of water-tubes therein and showing the curved pipes leading directly to the steam-drum. Fig. 3 is an outline view showing a front or back water-leg composed of anumber of headers of my improved construction, and also showing partly in section the pipes leading to the steam-drum. Fig. 4 is a sectional view in detail of a number of my improved boxes with their respective openings for removing ashes and other foreign matters accumulating upon the outer surfaces of the water-tubes. Fig. 5 is a trans verse section of a header, taken on the line x .fr of Fig. 4, showing a box constructed with the bridge cast therewith, and with a recess in the bridge for the head of the bolt holding the outside cap by means of a nut; and Fig. 6 is a transverse section of a header, also taken on the line a: as of Fig. 4, showing the bridge cast therewith, and with` means for securing the bolt by which the cap is held to said header.

Similar letters of reference indicate correl spending parts in all the figures.

Referring to the annexed drawings, A represents an ordinary steam and water drum located at any suitable distance above the series of water-tubes B within the furnace-wall C.,

The watertubes B are shown in Fig. lin al slightly-inclined horizontal position, and.

IOO

are subjected to the action of heat arising either from a re upon a grate, c, beneath or j 2 33eme from the hot gases arising from the products of combustion within the furnace. These watertubes B may be arranged in any suitable manner, as is well understood, and through them circulate continuously the water and the steam generated therefrom into the respective end chambers or headers, D, thence through thecurved or straight pipes E directly to the steam and water drum A, wherein the steam is separated from the water, and the latter circulates downward through the curved or straight pipes into the back water-leg, and thence again through the tubes B, while depositing any sediment or other foreign matter accumulating in the water-leg into the muddrum F, of any suitable construction, and located beneath. The pipe E, preferably made of wrought-iron, leading from each header or box, D, is rigidly secured thereto by being expanded therein, and in a similar manner itis secured to the steam-drum A; but when the thickness of metal will not warrant the expanding ofthe tube in the drum a re-enforce plate may be used and placed either upon the inside or outside thereof. By making these pipes of metall of an elastic nature I am enabled to make due provision for any possible unequal amount of expansion or contraction without bringing any dangerous strain upon their joints.

The front or back water-leg of the boiler may be made of any number of vertical heador combinations may be arranged of L and M;

ers, or of such a number as will produce a boiler of the capacity required; and when an odd number of headers is used-for example, one, three, or five-the tube or pipe E, connecting the central header with the vsteam and water drum A, will be straight in form, while all the other tubes leading directly to the steam-drum will consist of curved pipes. Each header may be constructed in one box, as D in Fig. 3, or it may be made up of a number of boxes, placed one'abovethe othe`r that is to say, two or more boxes similar to L may be used, one above the other, and nippled together; or two or more boxes like P may be nippled together, one above the other;

L, M, and L; M, L, and N; M, N, and M, or M, N, M, N, and O, and it will be readily understood that many other combinations may be arranged, according as it may be desired t0 increase the nulnber of horizontal rows of tubes.

As the zigzag boxes illustrated in Fig. 3, having contours consisting of broken straight lines, are susceptible of similar arrangement and use as those having curvilinear contours, a further specific description of them is deemed unnecessary.

Each box of the header must have at least one bridge, H, for the purpose of strengthenthe cover is secured to the same.

four tubes, as N, boxes with five tubes, as M,

l bridges.

and boxeswith. six tubes,V asL, require two If it is desired to use two covers on a box similar to L, provided with six tubes,

Aa third bridge, H', may be cast within the box for the purpose of lforming a support foi` making a steam-tight joint on it at the meeting line y y.

The bridge H, as shown in Fig. 5, has a hole, h2, made init through which the bolt R is inserted from the inside of the box, and a recess, h, is cast on the under side of the vbridge toreceive the head of the bolt and to prevent it from turning.y

The bridge H, as shown in Fig. 6, has a hole,

h2, made in it and tapped to receive the tapof the box, and so constructed as to conformto the contour of its sides. It is preferably made convex in form, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, in order to enhance its strength and to resist the steam-pressure from the inside of the chamber or box.' The cover is fitted to the box and secured in its place by bolts B and S, and the joint between the box and cover made steam-tight by any of the well'- known means for such purposes-for example, a gasket of any suitable material may be used, or the box and cover may be planed and a scraped joint made thereto. v

In order to provide for the easy removal of dust, ne ashes, or other foreign matters liable to accumulate upon the' upper surfaces of the water-tubes, I arrange 'a series of semicircular recesses, j, formed by giving the proper contour to the sides of the headers, so that when they are placed sideby sideor adjacent to'one another, two ofthe-se' recesses lwill form an opening through which the nozzle of a pipe may be conveniently inserted and a jet of steam or air be effectuallyused for cleansing theoutroo IIO'

side ofthe water-tubes, thereby preservingtheir full conducting-power of heat. I also utilize the spaces k and 7c', as shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings, upon the adjacentsides of each pair of headers or boxes at the'top andbottom thereof, respectively, for a similar purpose, which will be Vreadily understood. If so desired, the boxes may be constructed without these openings, and due provision made for the cleaning of the pipes or tubes by'm'ea'nso'f openings `left in the side walls of the furnace for this very specific purpose. l v v Having thus described thenature and objects of my invention,` whatI claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. As an improvement in steam-boilers, the end chamber, as described, having a series of openings therein for the reception of a corresponding number of Water-tubes, and provided with one or more bridges, for the purposes set forth.

2. As an improvement in steam-boilers, the

header, as described, provided with bridges, which allow of a free circulation thereunder and strengthen said header, and when two or more covers are required on a box one or more of the bridges form supports for making a steam-tight joint thereon.

3. As an improvement in steam-boilers, a curved pipe for connecting a header or box directly with the cylindrical surface of a longitudinal steam-drum, substantially as and for the purposes described.

4. The combination, in a water-tube boiler, of the tubes B, header or box D, having openings at the top and bottom thereof for the reception of nipples, of the bridges H, with openings 71?, and recesses h', for holding the bolts R, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

5. The combination, in a sectional steamboiler, of the tubes B, header or box ll), of the bridges H, openingsl, of the cap I, and tap or 2o the curved pipe leading directly from each 25 header of a series to the longitudinal steam drum, and a central straight pipe leading directly to said drum, when one, three, or ve headers are used, substantially as described.

JOHN L. GILL, JR.

Witnesses:

LoUIs H. KUEBLER, WALTER S. GIBSON. 

